


By the Sea

by Kotorito



Category: Attack on Titan, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: AU where everything is fine and shit, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Childhood Friends, Comedy, Eremin - Freeform, Eren and Armin gay, F/F, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, LMAO, M/M, Mikasa and Annie gay too, No Spoilers, Nobody Dies, Nobody is Dead, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, also the setting is in paradis island but in a new town I have created for this fic., but mikannie will probs be a little more interesting idk, enjoy, eremin is the main ship tho, everything is okay, just a college AU, life is good, mikannie - Freeform, spoiler free, will have comedy assuming im funny
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-17 17:27:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29596215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kotorito/pseuds/Kotorito
Summary: Eren Jaeger had fallen in love with his childhood best friend many years ago. Eventually they had to part ways when they were about to start highschool. Years have passed, now Eren and his sister Mikasa are going to college.Will Eren meet his first love again?(Idk how many chapters it's gonna have but I can guarantee I will not give up on this fic and i will finish no matter what)
Relationships: Armin Arlert/Eren Yeager, Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss/Ymir, Mikasa Ackerman/Annie Leonhart, Reiner Braun/Bertolt Hoover, Sasha Blouse & Connie Springer
Comments: 15
Kudos: 45





	1. Memory of My First Love

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Welcome to my fanfic!!! I really hope you guys enjoy this I am super excited to post!!!

_ “Eren c’mon!” _

_ “What is it?” _

_ “Hurry!” _

_ The small blonde boy grabbed little Eren’s hand and pulled him as they both ran by the sea in the sunset. _

_____________________________________________________________

“Eren! Wake up,” he heard his mom holler from outside his room. Then, his adoptive sister Mikasa opened the door, “Eren get up. We need to go soon.” She entered the room and lifted the window blinds, revealing the brilliant morning sunlight. She was already dressed up, wearing a casual black knee-length dress with elbow-length sleeves, and a pair of maroon-colored ankle boots 

Eighteen year-old Eren Jaeger sat up on his bed, and rubbed his eyes. _Looks like it was just a dream,_ he thought to himself _._ _It’s been a while since I last had a dream like that_. Between groans he asked, “What time is it?” 

To which Mikasa responded, “It’s 7:30am. Mom’s almost ready and Dad will be here any minute to pick us up.” She looked at him. “You finished packing right?”

“Yeah,” he groggily pointed to a suitcase near the closet, “It’s over there.” 

“I’ll take it downstairs. You should start getting ready.” 

“Yeah, okay.”

Once Mikasa was out the door with his belongings, Eren got up and went to the bathroom. 

After a quick shower, he shaved and brushed his teeth. Then, he looked in the mirror while he brushed his shoulder-length brown hair and tied it into a bun. He had small fringes hanging down at the sides, and the bun was a little messy in the back, but he liked the way it looked.

It took him a few days to convince his mother to let him grow it out this long, but in the end she said it was okay on two conditions: one, that he takes care of it regularly; and two, that he also keeps his face cleanly shaved. Carla Jaeger was not going to allow her son to look like an unkempt homeless man under any circumstances. Regardless, Eren already planned to follow those terms even if she had said yes from the get-go. 

He changed into the set of clothes he prepared last night. He wore a dark green jacket with the wings of freedom insignia in the back over a white v-neck shirt, some jeans, and his Adidas. 

Today is the day Mikasa and Eren move into their college dorms in the Salinas campus of Paradis University. Salinas is a relatively far city on the coast, outside the walls of the central region of Paradis island. 

And while he is excited to go, he is also pretty nervous to leave home and live somewhere that is a bit foreign from what he is used to. Moreover, he isn’t exactly sure what to expect. At least he won’t be alone since Mikasa will also be attending. However, he does wish his sister would stop babying him and worrying so much about him all the time. Mikasa has always been overly protective of Eren since they were little. She isn’t much older than him. She was adopted into the Jaeger household after the tragic death of her parents when they were kids. Perhaps the circumstances in which they met might have to do with her coddling him so much.

Once he’s dressed, Eren makes sure he isn’t missing anything, picks up his cellphone and heads to the kitchen for breakfast. 

_____________________________________________________________

As Eren went down the stairs, he encountered his father down at the front door.

Grisha Jaeger called out to his wife, “Carla, I’m home!” 

Carla responded “Mikasa and I are in the kitchen!” then she yelled for her son, “Eren! Are you done? Breakfast is ready!”

“Hey dad, Mornin’,” said Eren.

“Good morning, son,” Grisha smiled.

They went to the kitchen, where Carla was almost done washing some dishes while Mikasa ate. When she finished, Carla quickly turned around and greeted her husband with a kiss, and then kissed Eren on the cheek. “Sweetie there’s scrambled eggs at the table. I forgot my purse upstairs, I’ll be right back,” said before rushing out of the room.

Eren sighed, “I just wanted toast…”

To which Mikasa replied, “Eren, toast isn’t enough. You need your protein.”

“Yeah, yeah...” Now wasn’t really the time to argue so Eren sat down at the table and served some food on his plate. It was pretty obvious that his mother was stressed out to say the least. Therefore, if any of them complained or if there was any slight inconvenience, she could easily snap. Eren would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little worried about her after he and Mikasa leave. Even though she’s a strong woman and an amazing mother, he knows it may be a little difficult for her to get used to their absence. Although, at least their father said he was going to spend less hours working so that he could make more time for her.

“Eren did you pack everything?” Carla asked as she walked back into the room. 

“Yes.”

“Your toothbrush, tooth paste, shampoo, soap, hairbrush—” 

“Yeah, I followed the list and Mikasa even double checked before I went to sleep,” Eren interrupted with a slightly exasperated tone.

“Oh okay,” Carla turned to Mikasa “how about you, Mikasa? Do you both have enough clothes? Are you sure you’re not forgetting anything?” 

Mikasa said reassuringly, “Don’t worry mom. We’re okay.” 

Grisha then placed his arm around Carla’s shoulders and lightly pulled her close. “It’s okay darling, they’ll be fine.”

She looked at him in the eyes and nodded, “Okay.” She was visibly more at ease now 

After Eren and Mikasa finished eating, they helped their mother clean the kitchen. When they were all done, everyone got in the car, and so they departed for a 2 hour drive to Salinas district. 

_____________________________________________________________

Eren opened his eyes after a nap. He looked around; his father was still driving, and his mother and sister were asleep. The brunette shifted his gaze to the car window, and saw the glittering ocean. It was beautiful. 

The Jaegers lived in Shiganshina district in Paradis island, which is located a lot further from the coast. In addition, since Eren had never often left the inland area of Paradis island, this was his first time seeing the ocean in a long time. It was truly breathtaking. The marvelous sight reminded him of his dream from last night, and a childhood memory resurfaced.

_____________________________________________________________

When Eren and Mikasa were children, they had a friend named Armin, with whom they had a strong bond. Armin was Eren’s first friend, and his only friend before Mikasa joined the family. Eren met Armin at a nearby park in town when they were around six years old. He had just finished his chores so his mom let him go out for a walk. Then while passing by the park he saw a small boy with pretty blonde bobbed hair that shimmered in the light of the sunset. He was all alone, sitting on the floor, hugging his knees against his chest, crying. There was also a book lying face down in front of him with several torn pages scattered around. 

Young Eren Jaeger was worried so he went to check on him. He picked up the sheets of paper. Some had colorful pictures of sea creatures and the ocean among the columns of text. When he finished, he kneeled in front of the kid, “Here.” 

The little boy looked at Eren with teary blue eyes. 

Then Eren asked, “Are you okay?”

He shook his head. The boy was quiet for a bit, until he wiped his tears and finally spoke, “I was getting picked on by bullies...they ripped the pages out of my favorite book...”

“That’s terrible! Why would anyone do that?”

“I don’t know. They’re just always mean to me. They make fun of me for reading, they make fun of me for my height,” the blonde paused and looked down, “and they tell me I look girly.” 

“How could they do that?” Eren said angrily, “there’s nothing wrong with reading. If anything it makes you smarter, and I think it’s cool that you enjoy it. My mom says that if something makes you happy, and it doesn’t hurt anyone, then it’s perfectly okay!” then he added while blushing a little bit, “you also don’t look like a girl... I think you look good just the way you are.”

The boy who was no longer crying, looked at Eren in awe, “Really?”.

The brilliant look he gave made Eren’s heart get a weird sensation. “Well yeah,” he averted his gaze. “Oh, what’s your name?” Eren asked quickly, feeling a little embarrassed.

The boy responded, “It’s Armin.”

“I’m Eren.”

“Nice to meet you Eren,” Armin gave him a grateful smile and accepted in his hands the torn pages Eren had collected, “thank you.”


	2. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SORRY I TOOK SO LONG I HAD TO WRITE 2 ESSAYS AND NOW I HAVE A TEST ON THURSDAY BUT I DID IT
> 
> anyway enjoy!!!1

Now that they were in Salinas, Eren could see that it was a very beautiful city. Eren observed the town. The buildings weren’t built to be very tall because it would obstruct the ocean view. Sure, there were several tall buildings, mostly part of the college campus, but they weren’t exactly skyscrapers either. He really liked the aesthetic of the area they were passing through. The grey stone pathways lead to the town’s dock where tables were set for the people to rest. The banners that connected the buildings set a peaceful atmosphere to the town. 

They then passed by the entrance of a nice-looking shopping district with awnings that provided shade to the entrance of each store. There seemed to be mostly small businesses there, but Eren only caught a glimpse of a few of them. Finally, after driving through a street with several restaurants, they arrived on campus.

_____________________________________________________________

Grisha parked the automobile in the lot nearest to the dorms. They all got out of the car and took the suitcases out of the trunk. Eren and Mikasa were now standing face to face with their parents, ready to say their goodbyes. 

Their father started speaking, “Well kids, this isn’t easy but I know you are going to do great things. The road ahead is long and difficult but we believe in you both,” he smiled, “and no matter what, we will support you all the way.”

Carla gave her son and daughter a sad yet hopeful smile. She then said, “Raising you both has been an amazing experience for me. You’ve grown so much and have made it this far. As a mother it pains me a little to have to let go,” she teared up, “However, Grisha and I are very proud of you both, and I am overjoyed with the people you have become. I trust that you’ll do great and,” her voice cracked a little, “don’t forget to call home every now and then okay?”

Eren and Mikasa embraced Carla. It hurt Eren to see his mother like this but he and Mikasa knew that their parents’ support was genuine. They knew that their mom and dad both wanted them to thrive with their lives, and they were forever grateful.

“I love you mom. I love you dad,” said Eren on the verge of tears.

“Mom, dad, thank you for everything. I love you both and thank you for giving me a home. Thank you for giving me a family,” Mikasa said, crying. 

Their mother couldn’t hold back her tears. Grisha too teared up and he joined the hug. 

When they let go, Carla wiped her tears and looked at Eren, “Eren behave and take care of yourself. Watch out for your sister,” Then she shifted her gaze to Mikasa, “Mikasa, make sure your brother stays out of trouble, but take care of yourself too.” 

Eren and Mikasa nodded. They wiped their tears, and Eren looked at Mikasa, “Let’s go,” he said. 

To which Mikasa responded, “Yeah.”

They waved goodbye to their parents, turned around and headed to the dorm building. 

_____________________________________________________________

Eren and Mikasa entered the boy’s dorm building to get Eren’s key first. There was nobody at the front desk; however, there was a sign that read,  _ “Lunch Break 12:30pm-1:50pm.” _ Eren checked the time on his phone and it was 12:40pm, and that’s when he and Mikasa realized that they have not eaten lunch yet.

“Ugh, are you serious?” Eren complained.

Mikasa sighed, “I at least would’ve liked to put our bags in our rooms before going to eat.”

“Yeah...” said Eren.

Then they heard a familiar voice, “Mikasa? Eren?” And looked towards its source. Eren’s eyes widened in surprise.  _ No way _ , he thought. 

“Armin!” exclaimed Eren and Mikasa. 

“It IS you guys!” Armin responded with excitement. 

Armin looked a lot different from the last time Eren saw him. Puberty definitely hit him like a truck. He was taller than before and his hair was cut short, making his handsome face more visible. In addition, even though he wore a hoodie, Eren could still see he had a somewhat more muscular build now, unlike when they were younger. Armin was extraordinarily attractive now, and though he didn’t show it, Eren was losing his goddamn mind over how hot Armin was.

Mikasa and Eren ran to Armin and they hugged as a group.

“Oh god, it’s been so long!” Eren said. 

“Armin! It’s so good to see you!” Mikasa added. 

“I missed you guys so much!” Armin said with the most genuine, delighted voice. 

They let go of each other and Mikasa replied to him, “We did too,” she gave Eren a smug look, “Especially Eren.”

Eren blushed with embarrassment, “Wh-what? Mikasa!” he paused briefly and calmed himself down a bit, then shyly looked at Armin. “I-I mean yeah I really did miss you a lot.” He wasn’t lying. His high school memories were not exactly pleasant.

Armin smiled at Eren, then he asked him and Mikasa, “So you guys just got here?”

“Yeah, we were gonna get our room keys, but it’s lunch time,” Mikasa replied.

“I see,” said Armin. Then he asked, “have you guys eaten yet?”

To which Eren replied, “Not really…”

Happy to hear that, Armin said, “Well I was just going to eat at the café that’s near this building so if you guys want we can go together! It’s not too far so we can take your bags with us.”

Since they were hungry, the siblings eagerly accepted Armin’s invitation without hesitating. 

_____________________________________________________________

As Eren, Mikasa, and Armin walked to the restaurant, the three of them made conversation. They were side by side with Eren in the middle.

Mikasa was happy to see Armin. He had always been a good friend who was selfless, loyal, and empathetic. He used to have a bit of a low-self esteem back when they were kids, but overtime, towards the end of junior high school, she noticed he was starting to get better. Now that they have reunited, she can see Armin is still his kind self, but he’s definitely gained more confidence and seemed stronger both mentally and physically.  _ He has really matured. _

“Armin you look so different from last time, I barely recognized you. I mean you’ve gotten almost as tall as me” Eren gave him a sheepish smile, “and the short hair looks good on you.”

Then Armin replied, “Thanks! I actually got it cut like this pretty recently before coming here,” he paused, then added, “you guys also look really good too by the way,” he looked to Mikasa, “that pixie cut suits you, Mikasa! It looks nice.” 

Mikasa smiled and nodded, “Thank you.”

Armin looked at Eren, and to Mikasa’s surprise, Armin blushed a little bit while he complimented her brother, “and Eren, your hair looks cool tied into a bun like that.” 

_ Well that’s different.  _ Back then Armin didn’t really seem all that interested romantically in Eren. She couldn’t really tell if he was aware of Eren’s feelings and she was too afraid to ask. However, Armin is the smartest person she knows, so he could have caught on.  _ Then again, he barely had any relationship experience at the time so he might not have known. _

Another thing Mikasa noticed while the three talked, is that her brother seemed a little different too. Like he was actually interested in the conversation. Not that Eren doesn’t like talking or anything like that. It’s just that in high school, Mikasa and Eren were usually annoyed by their classmates. They didn’t form any close friendships. Sure, they could talk to their peers just fine, but most of them usually had ulterior motives, such as study help, gossip, or other favors. Such as when guys asked Eren if he could help hook them up with Mikasa, which got on his nerves. Therefore, Eren didn’t particularly enjoy talking to others. For a while he would often get into fights at first, but eventually he mellowed down. However, now he actually looks a bit lively. _Then again it could also just be Eren’s secret crush on Armin coming back,_ Mikasa thought to herself. Regardless, It was still pretty refreshing to see him enjoying himself like this.

In addition, Mikasa is having fun too. She’s delighted to see Armin of course. But in general, she’s just happy to meet someone who seems like a genuinely good person. Mikasa smiled,  _ Maybe college will be better after all.  _

_____________________________________________________________

When they ordered their food at the café, Eren, Mikasa, and Armin each received a buzzer. Afterwards, they sat at a square table in an open room within the establishment. It was a pretty nice and comfortable place. The walls had murals that were probably painted by the art students, and there was a bookshelf that took up the whole wall next to their table.

Armin was overjoyed to see his old childhood friends again. It has been a long time. The last time he saw Eren and Mikasa was right before he boarded the plane to Marley. It was in the summer after they graduated from Junior High. Even though he had a good highschool experience and made friends in Marley, he still missed Eren and Mikasa. They were both very special to him.

When they sat down he asked them, “So what are you guys majoring in?”

“Oh, I’m going into criminal justice,” Mikasa responded as she sipped her tea.

Eren then said “Yeah, and I’m majoring in history for now so that I can get into law school.” 

“Nice!” Armin replied. He was happy for his friends. Unlike him, even now Mikasa and Eren were doing extraordinary things with their lives.

“What about you Armin? What are you studying?” Mikasa asked.

A little embarrassed to admit, “Ah, well it’s nothing special. I’m gonna major in Wildlife Science with a minor in Marine Zoology.”

“Whoa! That’s awesome!” Eren looked at Armin in awe.

Taken by surprise, Armin asked, “Really?”

“Yeah, dude I remember when we were younger you’d tell me about the ocean and your favorite animals. You always had a lot of books and your favorites always had to do with sea animals,” Eren told him enthusiastically.

He looked at Eren, shocked, and finally spoke, “You really remember…”

Mikasa smiled, “Yeah, you always looked so happy talking about the things you like. I’m glad you’re doing what you love even now.”

“You’re really smart and you’ve always had a good sense of judgement. You should follow your heart, and believe in yourself more,” Eren added.

Armin was speechless. He was astonished by the support his friends were giving him. Even after all this time... Mikasa and Eren believed in him.

_ BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP _

They were all startled by the loud, collective beeping noises from each of their buzzers. 

“Ah! Looks like our orders are ready,” Eren and Armin stood up and went to get their food at the counter, while Mikasa stayed to guard their seats at the table

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my lovelies pls check out nushiewrites on ao3 he's my beta and he writes good shit too 
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/users/nushiewrites/pseuds/nushiewrites
> 
> and also follow my twitter @pinkClefairy for updates on how im doing with the fic and also for memes, art, and more!
> 
> Also am so happy so many of u commented in only the first chapter i really hope my fanfic meets ur expectations and i also hope i dont take forever to write but i cant promise cuz i AM a college student with ADHD rip


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